Fear Within
by Tealfeather123
Summary: Join ponies at war, as they try to survive the day to day struggles in the jungles of 'Nam'.


**Hey everybody and welcome to another story by me. I don't have much to say so yeah...lets get to the story. XD**

**I do not own My Little Pony.**

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**Fear Within**

**By**

**Tealfeather**

**Chapter 1 **

Bullets whizzed by as I lay low on the ground. Using a thick bush as cover, I kept low and dug in, as the enemy fired at us. The sound of automatic rifle fire can be heard in front, while a heavy machine gun can be heard in the distance towards the left. That told me that the enemy was trying to push on our right flank, where 3rd Squad was. From both my left and right, my fellow soldiers fired their guns. With my peripheral vision, I saw Private Thunder Cloud hold his M79 grenade launcher before firing it. The launcher made the distinctive popping sound before a loud boom echoed in front, telling us that it hit its mark.

As more bullets whizzed by, I manage to regain some composure and focus on the situation. I hastily moved my right hoof towards my M-16 and aimed forwards. Trying to look through the bush I was hiding in, I aimed the gun towards some flashing enemy rifles and fired.

The M-16 rifle sent its heavy metal bullets through the air, towards its target. Weather it hit anypony or not, I didn't know. But what I did know was if I didn't continue firing, then I would be a goner.

"They're coming in from the left!" I heard Lt. Dawn, our platoon commander, shout as he stood in the middle of our squad. "Dusk, I want you to take your M-60 and shift left." He ordered earth pony. He then looked towards me and said:

"Sky, I want you to come with him and assist. You two will keep the Changeling in the left flank pinned down while the rest of the platoon starts a fighting retreat. Once we move to another position, behind those tree's over there, we will cover you two so you can join us."

I gave a nod of acknowledgement and stood up before heading towards Dusk, who was about to race towards the left flank. I didn't question the Lieutenants judgment, since I knew that he was always right.

Throughout the months of me being in the jungle, Lieutenant was the one who always guided us. He was the one who made sure that the platoon was always safe, and always made sure that everypony gets out alive. He once risked his own life to save another ponies life before, and for that, we would do the same for him.

In every combat mission, he would always look behind, from his position in front, and make sure that everypony was there and in their proper places. Like a father, he keeps us in order, and like his children, we follow his every order. He cared about us and we cared about him.

As I raced through my squads firing line, to head towards Dusk, I could see the Lieutenant encouraging ponies to keep up their fire. Like usual, the Lieutenant stood in the firing line, dodging bullets, just to make sure we were doing our job. He must have a brave soul to be able to do that, and I never doubted about that. The Lieutenant was brave. The bravest among all of us.

I was about to pass him, when suddenly heard the sound of a bullet hitting flesh. Looking in front of me, I saw a spray of blood fly out of the Lieutenant's chest as I watched him fall towards the ground. He landed with a loud _thud_ as his body hit the jungle floor.

I watched in horror as the Lieutenant fell dead towards the ground and I immediately raced towards him. As I approached, I could see a pool of blood forming on the ground, and I closed my eyes.

I had seen a lot of terrible thing in this war, but none can beat the sight of the Lieutenant bleeding to death on the ground as the battle raged on.

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The humming sound the rotor blades made, as they spun above the helicopter during flight, echoed in my ears and the surrounding jungle below. Looking out of the side, I could see the lush green jungle and fields that covered the land. All of this looked foreign, since it really was, and it took me a while to adjust to the sight of my new surroundings. Unlike Equestria, the lands below were covered by the thick jungle, which were said to be very difficult to navigate and move through. Another difference was, instead of the large open fields, which one usually sees in Equestria, the fields here were smaller and looked like they were flooded with water, to grow their various crops.

This were the jungles of 'Nam', which belongs to the Republic of Donk. This is where I would be staying for the next 13 months as I served my tour in 'Nam' in the Equestrian Army. There were two reasons I was here and I would have liked it if both events never happened.

The first reason was because of the Changeling insurgency that spread throughout the countryside, of the Republic of Donk, and started effecting their Donkey population. Ever since the failed attempts of the Changelings to conquer Equestria and suck the blood of everypony, their Queen and the entire hive decided to move. So they went for the weaker nations, which proved to be affective.

For three years, they plagued the land, disguising as ordinary citizens and sucking the love, before retreating to the jungle. The country's military services were inadequate to fulfill the job of crushing the Changelings and were often ambushed in the jungle, which turned out as massacres. So after three years of failed attempt, the President, of the Republic of Donk, pleaded to the Princesses of Equestria to send military support, to help suppress the insurgency.

At first, the aid they received were small contingents of helicopters and aircraft. But the Equestrian high command soon found out that they needed ground troops to be on the ground to protect the aircraft. So soon the Equestrian soldier found themselves fighting in another country against an old enemy, using new weaponry.

The second reason for me being here was because of the draft.

In recent months, the Equestrian military has been taking high casualties in the tropical jungles of 'Nam'. With that, many places, where soldiers use to stand, were left open with nopony to replace them. So to solve the problem, they decided to call a draft that would bring unlucky ponies to military service. Sad to say, I was one of them.

So now I found myself riding inside a helicopter, as it flew towards the camp that I would be staying in, for the rest of my tour. I would then have to stay alive for 13 months, dodging bullets, until I can finally get out and go home.

As my though drifted away from my reason being here, my attention started to fall elsewhere. I soon found myself marveling at the helicopter I was in, wondering how it was able to fly through the sky, like us pegasi.

Although we ponies used the helicopters, and other machines of war, none of it was actually our inventions. All we did was just dust it off, study it and make copies for the military. For helicopters were machines that we just found.

If I remember the story from the newspaper right, the helicopter, along with rifles and artillery pieces, just appeared out of nowhere. They were found in an open field, with nopony in them. Nopony except for the weird bi-pedal creatures which were dead inside. They just popped out of nowhere.

Scientist tried to examine who and what they were, but to no avail. All they learned, from the machines they recovered, was that they were some sort of race that was far more advance than us.

The machines they found with the creatures took months to study, but thanks to the power of magic, they were soon replicated and mass produced for the Equestrian Armed Forces.

But sadly, we were not the only ones that used them. Somehow, a Changeling spy manage to break in the research center and still the blueprints. The Changeling soon sold them to the black market, till almost every nation in the planet was armed with them.

The only good thing was the fact that the Changeling were only able to produce rifles and simple rocket launchers and small canons, since they had little materials to make the bigger weapons.

So now, as I rode inside the UH-1 helicopter and watch the world below, I start to laugh at the thought of us killing each other with weapons from an unknown race that we knew little, if any about.

"Five more minutes before we reach the camp." The pilot, a white Pegasus, shouted as he turned his head to face me. "I suggest you get ready."

I nodded my head as I looked towards my pack. It composed of all the vital things I need, from supplies to ammunition, all packed in one big bag. Although it looked bulky and heavy to carry, it was still a small piece to pay to make out alive.

After I finished checking my pack, making sure that everything that I needed. I put my attention to my rifle. My rifle was the standard M-16 rifle, a weapon redesigned from the bi-pedal creatures. The rifle had a long strap, attacked at the muzzle to the bud, which made the gun hang on my neck. The strap was standard issue so that a pony would be able to fire the gun using only one hoof.

Making sure that everything was in place, I once again looked out of the helicopter to see it getting closer and closer to the ground. By now I can see the tropical trees near the helicopter as it started to descend towards the camp.

I soon see the helicopter fly towards a large opening, with tents and fortifications all over it. Ponies, wearing the standard issue camouflage, walked around, doing their daily business.

Soon the helicopter started to slow down and with a soft _thump_, it landed. With its skids down on the ground, I was now officially in 'Nam.'

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**Liked it? I hope you did, you can let me know in the reviews, and as always, see you in the next chapter.**


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